Here is your open thread for March 16, 2020.
March 16 is the 67th birthday of former Sweet Comfort Band singer Bryan Duncan. Duncan has won four Dove awards (the white Christian-brand Grammys — Doves are to Grammys what the AVNs are to the Oscars) and he’s recorded a ton of Jesus Rock and CCM over the years. Most of that has been, well, not great. But, still, the guy has pipes.
Here’s a particularly regrettable Bryan Duncan track that longtime readers of this blog may remember:
To be more fair — both to Duncan and to my claim that he’s a good singer — check out this old SCB track, “Somebody Loves You.”
To be more fair to you, the reader, let’s also note that today is the 56th birthday of Patty Griffin.
On March 16, 1190, about 150 Jews were killed at Clifford’s Tower in York, England. The pogrom is usually described as having been caused by anti-Jewish hysteria riled up due to the Crusades. (Most of the victims took their own life rather than be slaughtered by the mob gathered outside the keep. A few Jews surrendered, offering to convert to Christianity. The crowd of good Christians killed them anyway.)
On March 16, 1968, American troops in Vietnam murdered more than 500 unarmed civilians in the My Lai Massacre. If Trump wins a second term, Lt. William Calley might get a presidential pardon, reinstatement with 50 years of military wages, or even a Medal of Honor.
On March 16, 1995 — 25 years ago — the state of Mississippi ratified the 13th Amendment, maintaining it’s reputation as the state that’s always dead last in everything good.
James Madison was born 269 years ago today. “The Father of the Constitution” never got his picture on any US currency, so to give you an idea what he looked like, here are two portraits of Madison — one at 32 and the other at 82. They say the presidency ages people, but jeez:
Georg Simon Ohm was born 231 years ago today. Vive la résistance.
Dr. Rebecca Cole was born 164 years ago today. She wasn’t a doctor when she was born, of course, but she became one in 1867, which wasn’t easy for a black woman in America.
Fred Neil would’ve been 84 years old today. He wrote “Everybody’s Talkin.‘” Jerry Jeff Walker turns 78. He wrote “Mr. Bojangles.”
J.Z. Knight — the wanna-be guru who made her fortune pretending to “channel” an ancient spirit named Ramtha — turns 74 today. I’m so old I remember when white evangelicalism was obsessed with the perceived threat and wildly overestimated popularity of the “New Age” movement. Today those same people are cultishly devoted to an anti-vaxxer whose only religious beliefs come from Norman Vincent Peale as filtered through Roy Cohn. OK, then.
Nancy Wilson from Heart turns 66 today. Todd McFarlane, who made Spidey look spidery, turns 59.
John Darnielle and Lauren Graham were both born 53 years ago today. Here’s Darnielle singing. And here’s Graham singing. (“If you can’t sing the song, sing the scene” — Angela Lansbury.)
Alan Tudyk has been soaring like a leaf on the wind for 49 years. Former Met, Tiger, Yankee, Dodger, Blue Jay, Brewer, Marlin, and all-around mensch Curtis Granderson turns 39 today.
Joel Embiid turns 26 today.
March 16 is a national holiday in Lithuania, “Day of the Book Smugglers.” Don’t know much about it, but it sounds like a very cool holiday.
Finally, somewhere in Arizona, I think, a woman that I was once married to in a former life is celebrating her birthday. Best wishes, RA. I hope you’re having a good one. See Lorelei above, etc.
Trust the process. Talk amongst yourselves.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In